Sewing-machine



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SEWING MACHINE. No. 274,359. Patented Mar.20,1883.

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SEWING 'INZLACHINIE x No. 274,359. Patented Mar.20,1883.

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L. B. MILLER & P. DIEHL.

SEWING MACHINE.

No. 274.359. Patented Mar. 20, 1883.

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- SEWING MACHINE.

Patented Mari 0,1883.

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PATENT @rricn.

LEBBEUS B. MILLER AND PH-lLlP DIEHL, OF ELIZABETH, N. 5., ASSIGNORS TOTHE SINGER MANUFACTURING COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY.

SEWING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 274,359, dated March20, 1883.

Application filed May 27, 1881. ()Ictlel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Belt known that we, LEBBEUS BALDWIN MIL- LER and PHILIP DIEHL, ofElizabeth, in the 7 county of Union and State of New Jersey, have madean invention of certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing- Machines;and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription and specification of the same.

Our invention has reference primarily to the feeding and shuttle-drivingmechanism, and the presser-bar', shuttle, and tension mechanism ofsewing-machines; and it consists of certain constructions andcombinations of mechanical devices which are set forth in detail inclaims at the close of this specification. All of the said features ofinvention need not be embodied in the same machine; but, in order thatthe invention may be fully understood, we have represented in theaccompanying drawings, and will proceed to describe some of theprincipal parts of a sewing-machine embodying all of the said featuresin the best form in which we have embodied them at the present date.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 represents a side view of suchsewing-machine with the side plate of the bracketarm removed. Fig. 2 isa view of the face of the bracket-arm and of portion of the feed andshuttle mechanism, and illustrates more especially the method of drivingthe feed. Fig. 3 is a view of the under side of the machine, showing theshuttledriving mechanism and feed mechanism from beneath. Fig. 4 isadetached view of the feedv'heel, with the mechanism employed to driveand control it. Figs. 5 to 15, inclusive, show parts of the machinedetached from the residue, and Figs. 16 and 17 illustrate a novelfeature in the shuttle-driving mechanism.

The general form of the said sewing-machine does not differ materiallyfrom many sewing-machines in common use, and is similar to that shownand fully described in Letters Patent of the'United States granted to usunder date of October 8, 1878, and numbered 208,838, and also in ourLetters Patent of the United States numbered 229,629, and

dated July 6, 1880. It has a bed-plate, A,

sciFigs. 1, 2 and 3, with which the other parts are connected; abracket-arm, B, Fig. 1, to support the needle and presser bars abovethat portion of the bed-plate A upon which the material to be sewed willrest; a main driving shaft, 0, extending through the bracket-arm 5 5 Bto drive the needle-bar, which is arranged to slide up and down throughthe head ofsaid bracket-arm, and also, by means of a crankconnection androck and oscillating shafts, to oscillate the shuttle-driver whichcarries the shuttle. The general manner of looping the needle andshuttle threads to form the stitch is the same as that fully describedin the first patent; and the manner of carrying the shuttle is the sameas that described in the second patent above referred to. In both saidpatents, however, the feed shown and described belongs to theclasscommonly known as fourmotion, in which the feeding-surface during itsretreating movement is not in operative 0 contact with the goods. Ourpresent invention, being adapted more especially for those kinds of workwhich require that the feed should remain continuously and firmly incontact with the goods, belongs to the class commonly known aswheel-feed. We give motion to this feed from the main shalt of themachine by means of the same operating mechanism as that shown in oursaid patent of July 6, 1880, No. 229,629, (except that by pref- Soerence we use an eccentric, d, Figs. 1 and 4, in place of thedriving-cam formerly used on the main driving-shaft C of the machine,)and we regulate and control the extent of the feed movement in themanner shown and described in said patent. Said eccentric d, operatingthrough the forked connecting-piece J, gives motion, as in said formerpatent, to the horizontal-feed rock-shaft F through its arm 6; but inour present machine the arms ec at the other end of said feed rock-shaftF, instead of being directly connected with a feed-bar, are pivoted tothe link K, Figs. 1, 3 and 4, the other end of which link is hinged tothe driving-ring D at the point I), Fig. 4. 5 The feed proper consistsof the feed-wheel O, constructed in the form of aring, with serratedteeth on its periphery, arranged to project through a slot in the table,in the usual manner, as shown at Fig. This wheel or 1:0

ring is supported in a frame, N, which frame is hinged at the point E tothe table of the machine, and is provided with lugs n it, through whichthe adjusting-screw a and the screw n are passed. As this frame ishinged only at E to the bed of the machine, its natural tendency wouldbe to drop downward away from the said bed; but it is prevented fromdoing this and sustained in its proper position by the bearing of thepoint of the adjusting-screw it against the flange of the bed-plate ata. The hinge at E is thus made to serve asa fulcrum-point, and byturning the said screw-n one way or the other the frame can be raised orlowered, carrying with it the feed-surface, and the elevation of thesaid operative portion of said surface above the level of the bedplatecan thus be regulated at will. The function of the screw M, which can beadjusted to correspond with each adjustment of the screw it, is simplyby bearing against the otherflange of the bed-plate to keep the framesolid and steady and prevent vibration. The necessary intermittentrotating motion is communicated to the feedring or wheel 0 in thefollowing manner: The link K, receiving through the arms a e of the feedrock-shaft F a regular reciprocating motion, is hinged at b to thedriving-ring D, which, consequently, slides in the frame with a nearlycircular reciprocating'motion of correspondent extent. The face of thisdriving-ring D is provided with two lugs, b 11, arranged to project oneon either side of (or, in other words, straddle) a flange, 0, whichprojects from the inside face ot the feed-wheel O. Said driving-ring Dis also supported and guided by the screw 11*, acting in the slot 12 andis also acted upon by the spring I), one end of which is attached to theframe N. This said ring D with its guiding-screw and spring are soadjusted in relation tothe feed-wheel that during one movement of thearms 0 c of the feed rock-shaft,

(as shown in Fig. 2 this movementis from left to right,) when the stitchis being formed and the feed should rest, the said driving-link K andthe spring I), acting in the same direction, will cause saiddriving-ring to move and be guided in a line so nearly correspondingwith the line of the flange 0 that its lugs b b will not grip saidflange, and its motion will not be communicated to the feed wheel 0; buton the return movement of the arms a 0, when the feed should move, thelink K acts in a direction against the said spring I), and this ring isforced by such action of the link and spring to change its line ofmotion and move in a line that will be slightly eccentric to the line ofsaid flange, thereby bringing both said lugs into firm contact with saidflange, cramping and holding it between them, and communicating acircular motion to said wheel. As the time and extent of this motionwill depend on and be governed by said movements of the feed rock-shaftthe forward movement of the feed and the extent to which the goods areto be carried between each stitch can therefore be adjusted andcontrolled in the manner described in said patent tons of July 6, 1880,numbered 229,629.

In order to permit the point of the shuttle we use to enter and hold theloop of the nee tile-thread until the eye of the needle rises above thefabric, and afterward to draw down,

use the same form of crank on the main driving-shaft and a similarconnection, 0, pivoted to the arm of the rock-shaft S; but instead ofthe slotted arm receiving the crank-roller of the oscillating shaft weuse an arm, 3, to the outer end of which is pivoted the link V, and wepivot the other end of said link V to the outer end of the crank t onthe end of the shuttle-oscillating shaft T. By the revolution of thecrank on the main shaft a regularreeiprocatingorrockingmotioniscommunicated,

by means of the connection 0, tothe arm 8 of i the rock-shafts, andconsequently to the arm 8 on the said rock-shaft. The oscillating shaft'1 being parallel to said rock-shalt S, and its crank it beingpositively connected by the link 12 to the arm 8, by varying therelative lengths of the arm 8 and crank t the extent of the oscillatingmotion communicated to the shaft T can be increased or diminished. Inthe present instance we desire to communicate to the shaft T anoscillating motion of greater extent than that communicated to therockshaft S and to make its oscillating movement more than ahalf-circle, and we therefore make the arm 8 relatively longer than thedistance between the centers of the shafts S and T, and

IIO

the arm t shorter-than the arm .9. By this means from a comparativelysmall rocking motion of the shaft S we impart to the shaft T the desiredoscillating motion in excess of a v half-circle.

The shuttle oscillates in a race in a manner similar to that describedin our said United States patent of October 8, 1878, No. 208,838; but,as experience has shown, ifthe free end of ing to sew, it may be carriedinto the race in the path of the shuttle and cause the shuttle to becomewedged or jammed in such race. In order to avoid this danger, instead ofmaking the ring Q, which forms the body of the race,

solid, we now make a spring-back, g, which we fasten to the lower partof the ring Q, by the two screws 9 g, leaving the top portion of saidring free to yield to any extraordinary 7 the thread is not properlyplaced in commencpressure, although firm enough to keep the shuttle inposition under ordinary circumstances.

in a machine especially adaptedfor manufacturing work, and which mustfrequently be driven at a high speed by steam-power,it is desirable toconstruct and arrange a bobbin and shuttle so that the motion of suchshuttle will uotinterfere with the proper control of the bobbin-thread.iVith this object we have constructed a shuttle, Figs. 12 to 15, havingthe body, bea k-shank, and long beak adapted to our machine, but adaptedto receive a form of bobbin, Z, in which the planes of the circlesdescribed by the thread on the bobbin as it lies in the shuttleareatright angles, or nearly so, to the plane of motion of the shuttle.Thus the thread is drawn off and the bobbin revolves as it is unwound ina direction at right angles to that in which it receives mo iion throughthe rapid movements of the shutlle, and cannot therefore be effected bythem. This shuttle is also constructed in two portions hinged togetherand forming a box to contain the thread, as described in United Statespatent granted to us October 26, 1880, No. 233,7 89; but in our presentmachine such portions are held together and the tension on theshuttlethread obtained by the following devices: To the larger portionof the shuttle, which we distinguish by the letter X, is' rigidlyattached, at a point nearly opposite and farthest from the hinge, aspring, so, the free end of which bears and presses on a lug pro 5ject-ing from the smaller portion, 00, at a point back of thehinge-pivot. The hinge-pivot is thus made a fulcrum-point, and thepressure beyond it forces the opposite sides of the larger and smallerportions together, closing and securing the box and also giving anelastic tension upon the free end of the thread, which is drawn out, asshown in Figs. 14 and 15, between the rim or edge surfaces of the twoportions of said shuttle. We make this spring ac strong enough to givethe greatest amount of tension required in practice. In order todecrease the amount of tension and regulate it as required, the portiona: of the shuttle is provided with a set-screw, y, fitting in a holetapped to receive it. When the twofportions are brought together thelower end of this screw enters a hole in the other portion, X, of theshuttle, in which hole is placed a small spring or some elasticsubstance. By turning this screw to the right a counter-pressure oflimited extent is exerted, tending to force the adjacent surfaces of theportions apart sufficiently to relieve the pressure on the free end ofthe thread to the desired extent, although they are still held inposition to keep the bobbin securely in the shuttle by the action of thespring :0.

As our said machine is constructed to use what is generally known as apositive thread take-up, it is necessary, in order to produce the bestresults,

that the needle-thread should become slack when the eye of the needle inits descent reaches the'surface of the goods to be sewed, and notbefore. We accomplish this by the device shown, which is an adjustableslackthread controller.

On the front of the face-plate, Fig.2, we form a barrel or receptacle,20, around the tension-stud, and this barrel has part of itscircumference cut away, leaving an opening. Within this receptacle is acollar, w", which has an opening corresponding in size to that in thereceptacle. This collar turns freely within the receptacle. A set-screw,w, passes through a slot in the receptacle and is tapped into thecollar. Within the collar is a coilspriug, W, the inner end of whichspring is permanently attached to the tension-stud or central post,while its outerend, looped to receive the thread, projects through theopenings in the collar and the receptacle. When the openings of thecollar and receptacle are precisely opposite, the outer end of thespring is free to move to the full extent of such opening's; but as thecollar is turned so that its opening passes that in the receptacle thespace through which the outer end of the spring can move iscorrespondingly limited. As the takeup ascends itdraws up by the threadthe free end of this spring, and when the take-up descends the reactionof this spring takes up. slack until it reaches the limit of motionpermitted by the opening, after which the thread is free to becomeslack. The time or point at which the thread shall become slack, canconsequently be determined by shifting the collar and increasing ordecreasing the space through which the free end of the spring can move.

It is especially desirable that the presser or foot bar should be heldfirmly and securely in itspositiou during the operation of the machine,should yield only in a vertical direction, and should not twist or turnin its bearings; and inputting on different attachments it is alsodesirable to have said bar vertically adjustable. We attain theseobjects and at the same time secure a uniform andeasily-reguiatiedvertical spring-pressure on said bar by the followingconstruction and arrangement: To Qhe said foot-bar R we secure, by asetscrew, 11, the bracket 1?, composed of a ring or collar encirclingthe bar and made deep enough to give a long surface-hearing on such barwhen drawn up against it by the action of the screw 19, and alsoprovided with a projection or arm, the upper surface of which is groovedto receive the free end of the presser-bar spring 19. The free end ofsuch spring fits closely in this groove, and, asits other end isattached to the arm of the machine so that it cannot move laterally, andas the spring is made to yield only in a. vertical direction, the bar isthus held firmly against turning or twisting, while it can be readilyadjusted vertically by loosening the set-screw p, sliding the bar up ordown through the ring, and resetting the IlIO screw. The amount ofverticalspring-pressure on said bar is regulated by the thumbscrew ptapped into the arm of the machine and pressing on said spring betweenthe point where it is secured to the arm and the point Where it rests onsaid bracket P. The arm or projection of this bracket P is formed, asshown in Figs. 2, 8, and 9, so as to bear and rest on the cam end of anordinary lifter, t, pivoted to the face-plate of the machine, by whichlifter said bracket, and with it the foot-bar R, are

raised or lowered at will.

\Ve claim as our invention 1. A frame for supporting and carrying thefeed-wheel ofa sewing-machine, provided with a lug, through which it isattached to said machine beneath the bed-plate by means of ahinge-pivot, and also provided with a set-screw passing through theouter end of said lug and adapted to raise or lower said frame andsupport it in the required operative position by pressing against thebed of such machine ata pointoutside said hinge-pivot.

2. A shuttle-race for an oscillating shuttle, provided with an elasticside or flange, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. A sewing'machine shuttle constructed in two portions hinged together,one of said portions having a spring rigidly attached to it at a pointopposite the hinge, the free end of which spring is adapted to bear onand press against aprojection of the other portion at a point behindsaid hinge, thereby holding the two portions together with an elasticpressure, substantially asdescribed.

4. The combination, in a sewing-machine shuttle, constructed of twoportions hinged together, of the said portions, one being provided witha clasp-spring adapted to bear on a projcction of the other at a pointbeyond the hinge, 40

and thereby to clasp and hold the two portions together with an elasticpressure, with an adjusting-screw tapped into one portion and adapted topress against a spring or elastic substance attached toor resting inarecess of the other, and thereby relieving to any desired extent thepressure on the thread caused by the clasp-spring, substantially asdescribed. 5. The adjustable slack-thread controller hereinbeforedescribed, consisting substan- 5o tially of the receptacle, coil-spring,movable collar, and set-screw, all combined and arranged substantiallyas and for the purposes set forth.

6. A presser-bar bracket comprising a 001-

